Lesson #20
Is Perception Reality? How to Manage Risk, Take Chances, and Remain Standing
Being an entrepreneur is more about perception than reality. Inexperienced people tend to think that an entrepreneur is much like the gunslinger type who walks into a bar wearing his 10-gallon hat and cowboy boots—and that everyone in the place scatters at the sight of him. There are similar characteristics envisioned about the person who starts a business from scratch. Entrepreneurs can easily gain a reputation as macho gunslingers who didn't do much planning, failed to worry about anything, never took aim before firing—yet always seemed to hit the target. Although this makes for a good silver screen character, a real-life entrepreneur doesn't even come close.
Although I am known as a member of this unique breed, this traditional image doesn't fit me at all. Instead, I have always considered myself a methodical thinker who knew how to take small steps first and minimize reckless risks. In my view, risk-taking is the culmination of assessing the positives and negatives, determining the probabilities, and then acting. This process has taught me how to make smart decisions in minutes, hours, and days instead of rethinking every move ad nauseam. I also don't ever recall deciding anything on a whim, at least not when it came to my businesses, making money, and winning.
I am also very much a numbers- and fact-based CEO, much like the famous line in Jerry Maguire, where Jerry's client, pro football ...
